Apparatuses, systems and methods for improving operation of autonomous vehicles

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for improving vehicular safety are provided. According to certain aspects, an electronic device may receive and analyze image data depicting an individual located within a vehicle. The electronic device may also access certain data related to a condition of the individual, and may accordingly determine whether the individual is fit to operate the vehicle. If the individual is unfit to operate the vehicle, the electronic device may alter autonomous operation of the vehicle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(b), to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/448,040, filed on Jan. 19,2017, and entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVINGOPERATION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/994,299, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACQUIRINGIMAGES OF OCCUPANTS INSIDE A VEHICLE, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No.14/994,305, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CLASSIFYINGDIGITAL IMAGES, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,308, entitledAPPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CLASSIFYING DIGITAL IMAGES, filedJan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,310, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR COMPRESSING IMAGE DATA THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF A SERIES OFDIGITAL IMAGES, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,409, entitledAPPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING DISTRACTIONS ASSOCIATEDWITH VEHICLE DRIVING ROUTES, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,415,entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING DATAREPRESENTATIVE OF VEHICLE DRIVER RATINGS, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No.14/994,419, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATINGDATA REPRESENTATIVE OF VEHICLE OCCUPANT POSTURES, filed Jan. 13, 2016;Ser. No. 14/994,424, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORTRANSITIONING BETWEEN AUTONOMOUS AND MANUAL MODES OF VEHICLE OPERATION,filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,431, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMSAND METHODS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED INAUTONOMOUS MODE OR MANUAL MODE, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No.14/994,436, entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMININGVEHICLE OPERATOR DISTRACTIONS, filed Jan. 13, 2016; Ser. No. 14/994,440,entitled APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER AVEHICLE SYSTEM IS DISTRACTING TO A VEHICLE OPERATOR, filed Jan. 13,2016; Ser. No. 14/862,949, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING IMAGEDATA TO GENERATE VEHICLE OPERATION LOGS, filed Sep. 23, 2015; and Ser.No. 14/989,524, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSOCIATING VEHICLEOPERATORS WITH DRIVING MISSES INDICATED IN VEHICLE OPERATION DATA, filedJan. 6, 2016; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in theirentireties by reference thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to apparatuses, systems and methodsfor improving operation of autonomous vehicles. More particularly, thepresent disclosure is directed to apparatuses, systems and methods foroperating autonomous vehicles based on a state of an individual with thevehicle.

BACKGROUND

Individuals have been operating and traveling in vehicles as a means oftransportation for decades. Generally, some individuals exercise morecare or caution than do other individuals when operating vehicles. Inparticular, individuals may sometimes operate vehicles when they areunfit to do so, such as if the individuals are intoxicated or drowsy.This generally unsafe vehicle operation leads to accidents, injuries, orother negative effects.

Recently, vehicles have experienced an increased prevalence ofelectronic devices and sensors capable of sensing and generating dataassociated with vehicle operation. However, even with this increasingprevalence, there are no existing solutions for determining whenspecific drivers are operating vehicles in certain situations. Forexample, there is no existing solution for accurately determining whenan individual is unfit to drive and, if the individual is unfit, forfacilitating actions that may dissuade the individual from operating thevehicle.

Accordingly, there is an opportunity for systems and methods to leveragevarious data to identify individuals and determine information that maydissuade the individuals from operating vehicles.

SUMMARY

A computer-implemented method for improving operation of an autonomousvehicle may include receiving image data from at least one image sensorlocated within the vehicle, analyzing, by a computer processor, theimage data to identify an individual located within the vehicle,accessing sensor data from a sensor associated with the vehicle, andanalyzing the sensor data to determine a current state of theindividual. The method may further include, in response to analyzing thesensor data, generating an autonomous operation mode control signal, andaltering an autonomous operation mode of the vehicle based on theautonomous operation mode control signal.

In another embodiment, a system in an electronic device for improvingoperation of an autonomous vehicle may include a user interface, amemory configured to store non-transitory computer executableinstructions, and a processor configured to interface with the memory.The processor may be configured to execute the non-transitory computerexecutable instructions to cause the processor to receive image datafrom at least one image sensor located within the vehicle, analyze theimage data to identify an individual located within the vehicle, accesssensor data from a sensor associated with the vehicle, and analyze thesensor data to determine a current state of the individual. Theprocessor may be further configured to, in response to analyzing thesensor data, generate an autonomous operation mode control signal, andalter an autonomous operation mode of the vehicle based on theautonomous operation mode control signal.

In a further embodiment, a device for improving operation of anautonomous vehicle may include a user interface, a memory configured tostore non-transitory computer executable instructions, and a processorconfigured to interface with the memory. The processor may be configuredto execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to causethe processor to receive image data from at least one image sensorlocated within the vehicle, analyze the image data to identify anindividual located within the vehicle, access sensor data from a sensorassociated with the vehicle, and analyze the sensor data to determine acurrent state of the individual. The processor may be further configuredto, in response to analyzing the sensor data, generate an autonomousoperation mode control signal, and alter an autonomous operation mode ofthe vehicle based on the autonomous operation mode control signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict exemplary environments within a vehicle includingvarious components configured to facilitate various functionalities, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary signal diagram associated with analyzingdata to identify individuals, assess a current state of the individuals,and perform various actions, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary flow diagram associated with analyzingvarious data to improve vehicle safety, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict exemplary user interfaces associated withgenerated notifications to improve vehicle safety, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device, inaccordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for detecting, recording,compiling, and analyzing various vehicle data and environmental datarelated thereto. Existing vehicle operation environments supportgeneration of various vehicle data and related information. However,there is no way to properly associate the vehicle data with the relatedinformation in a meaningful manner to enable the data to be effectivelycommunicated to relevant individuals in an effort to, for example,safely operate autonomous vehicles. The present embodiments improvethese shortcomings by effectively, efficiently, and automaticallydetecting and compiling relevant vehicle data and certain environmentaldata related thereto. Accordingly, associated memory, processing, andrelated data transmission requirements may be reduced compared toprevious approaches.

According to certain aspects, a vehicle or an electronic device withinthe vehicle may be equipped with one or more image sensors. The imagesensor(s) may be configured to capture image data of one or moreindividuals within the vehicle (e.g., an individual who is sitting inthe driver's seat of a vehicle that is not currently operating, or apassenger of the vehicle), and transmit the captured image data to anelectronic device. After receiving the image data, the electronic devicemay access stored user profile data that may include physicalcharacteristics of a set of users. The electronic device may analyze thereceived image data by comparing the received image data to the storeduser profile data to identify an individual depicted in the receivedimage data, where the individual may be an operator, potential operator,or passenger of the vehicle. Additionally, the electronic device mayanalyze additional sensor data to determine a state of the individual,which may indicate whether the individual is unfit to operate thevehicle, such as if the individual is intoxicated or drowsy.

Further, the electronic device may further access, detect, or determinecertain additional data that may be associated with an environmentand/or configuration of the vehicle and/or the individual, includingvarious sensor data gathered by one or more sensors of the vehicle,sensor data detected by one or more sensors of the electronic device,and/or other accessed or gathered data. The additional data may includeor indicate a location of the electronic device, one or more contactsstored on the electronic device, location history of the electronicdevice, and/or the like. Additionally, the electronic device mayinterface with various local or remote components to retrieve certainadditional data, such as available modes of transportation and/or nearbylodging availability. The electronic device may generate a notificationthat indicates at least some of the additional data, and may communicatethe notification to the identified individual. The electronic device mayenable the identified individual to view the notification and facilitateany action presented by the notification and/or another action.

The systems and methods therefore offer numerous benefits. Inparticular, the individual is afforded the benefit of automaticallybeing presented with options that are alternative to operating a vehicleand that may dissuade the individual from operating the vehicle.Additionally, other individuals (as well as the individual him/herself)will not be exposed to a potentially hazardous situation, namely thepotentially unfit individual operating the vehicle, when the individualchooses not to operate the vehicle. Further, an individual, entity, orthe like may access any generated data (such as a vehicle operation log)for various purposes or applications. For example, an insurance providermay access the vehicle operation log and, based on the data included inthe vehicle operation log, may determine a risk profile for theindividual according to the state of the individual and any attempts tooperate the vehicle. It should be appreciated that other benefits areenvisioned.

The systems and methods discussed herein address a challenge that isparticular to vehicle operation. In particular, the challenge relates toa difficulty in effectively dissuading individuals from operatingvehicles when they are not in a proper state to operate the vehicles.This is particularly apparent with the increasing amount of vehiclesensors and types of data generated therefrom. In conventionalenvironments, an individual's operation state may be determined by asensor device (e.g., a breathalyzer) that detects the individual's bloodalcohol content (BAC). In contrast, the systems and methods not onlyassess an individual's operation state, but the systems and methods alsodynamically determine supplemental information associated with anenvironment of the vehicle or the individual, and communicate thatinformation to the individual. Therefore, because the systems andmethods employ the collection, compiling, analyzing, and storing of dataassociated with the vehicle and/or the individual, the systems andmethods are necessarily rooted in computer technology in order toovercome the noted shortcomings that specifically arise in the realm ofvehicle operation.

Similarly, the systems and methods provide improvements in a technicalfield, namely, vehicle data compiling. Instead of the systems andmethods merely being performed by hardware components using basicfunctions, the systems and methods employ complex steps that go beyondthe mere concept of simply retrieving and combining data using acomputer. In particular, the hardware components capture image data,analyze the image data in combination with stored user profile data toidentify individual(s) depicted in the image data, analyze sensor datato determine a state of the individual, determine environmental dataassociated with a device or the individual, and generate and communicatea notification that indicates the environmental data. This combinationof elements further impose meaningful limits in that the operations areapplied to improve vehicle data compiling by assessing and associatingmultiple types of distinct data in a meaningful and effective way.

According to implementations, the systems and methods may support adynamic, real-time or near-real-time analysis of any captured, received,and/or detected data. In particular, the electronic device may receiveor capture image data in real-time or near real-time, and mayautomatically and dynamically analyze the captured image data bycomparing the captured image data to stored profile data. The electronicdevice may also receive or access sensor data, and analyze the sensordata, in real-time or near-real-time, and may automatically anddynamically generate and communicate a notification that indicatesrelevant environmental information. In this regard, the individualdepicted in the image data is afforded the benefit of receiving aneffective notification in real-time or near-real-time that serves todissuade the individual from operating the vehicle.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example depiction of an interior of a vehicle 100that may include various components associated with the systems andmethods. In some scenarios, an individual 102 may operate (i.e., drive)the vehicle 100. Although the individual 102 is depicted as sitting inthe driver's seat of the vehicle 100 and operating the vehicle 100, itshould be appreciated that the individual 102 may be a passenger of thevehicle, and may sit in a front passenger seat or any of a set of rearpassenger seats. In scenarios in which the individual 102 is a passengerof the vehicle 100, another individual may operate the vehicle 100. Insome scenarios, the individual 102 may sit in the driver's seat of thevehicle 100 but may not be operating the vehicle 100 (e.g., the engineof the vehicle 100 may not be on).

As depicted in FIG. 1A, the interior of the vehicle 100 may support aset of image sensors 105, 106, 107. In the particular scenario depictedin FIG. 1A, each of the image sensors 105, 107 is located near a topcorner of the interior of the vehicle 100, and the image sensor 106 islocated below a rear view mirror. Although three (3) image sensors aredepicted in FIG. 1A, it should be appreciated that additional or fewerimage sensors are envisioned. Further, it should be appreciated that theimage sensors 105, 106, 107 may be disposed or located at variousalternate or additional portions of the vehicle 100, including on anexterior of the vehicle 100.

Each of the image sensors 105, 106, 107 may be configured to detect andconvey information that constitutes an image. In particular, each of theimage sensors 105, 106, 107 may generate digital image data according tothe detected information, where the digital image data may be in theform of image data and/or video data. Although not depicted in FIG. 1A,the vehicle 100 may also include one or more microphones that may bedisposed in one or more locations, where the microphones may beconfigured to capture audio data that may supplement the digital imagedata captured by the image sensors 105, 106, 107.

The vehicle 100 may also be configured with an electronic device 110configured with any combination of software and hardware components. Insome implementations, the electronic device 110 may be included as partof an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system or any other type of systemconfigured to be installed in the vehicle 100, such as an originalequipment manufacturer (OEM) system. The electronic device 110 mayinclude a set of sensors configured to detect and record varioustelematics data associated with the vehicle 100. In someimplementations, the electronic device 110 may be configured tocommunicate with (i.e., request, retrieve, or receive data from) a setof sensors disposed in other locations of the vehicle 100, such as eachof the image sensors 105, 106, 107. Further, in some implementations,the electronic device 110 itself may be equipped with one or more imagesensors.

According to embodiments, the set of sensors included in the electronicdevice 110 or otherwise configured to communicate with the electronicdevice 110 may be of various types. For example, the set of sensors mayinclude a location module (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS)chip), an accelerometer, an ignition sensor, a clock, speedometer, atorque sensor, a throttle position sensor, a compass, a yaw rate sensor,a tilt sensor, a steering angle sensor, a brake sensor, and/or othersensors. According to some embodiments, the set of sensors may alsoinclude a breathalyzer or similar type of device that may be configuredto measure a BAC reading of the individual 102. It should be appreciatedthat additional sensors configured to detect a reading associated with acurrent state of the individual 102 are appreciated, including the imagesensors 105, 106, 107. Further, in implementations, it should beappreciated that additional sensor devices that may be able to detectthe same or alternate states of impairment (e.g., those caused byalcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, controlled substances, energyproducts, etc.) are envisioned.

FIG. 1B depicts another configuration of an interior of the vehicle 100that may include various components associated with the systems andmethods. Similar to the depiction of FIG. 1A, the depiction of FIG. 1Billustrates the individual 102 who may be an operator or passenger ofthe vehicle (or an individual who is attempting to or otherwise wantingto operate the vehicle). The individual 102 may access and interfacewith an electronic device 115 that may be located within the vehicle100. Although FIG. 1B depicts the individual 102 holding the electronicdevice 115, it should be appreciated that the electronic device 115 maybe located within the vehicle 100 without the individual 102 contactingthe electronic device 115. For example, the electronic device 115 may besecured within a mount.

According to embodiments, the electronic device 115 may be any type ofelectronic device such as a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone). Itshould be appreciated that other types of electronic devices and/ormobile devices are envisioned, such as notebook computers, tablets,phablets, GPS (Global Positioning System) or GPS-enabled devices, smartwatches, smart glasses, smart bracelets, wearable electronics, PDAs(personal digital assistants), pagers, computing devices configured forwireless communication, and/or the like. The electronic device 115 maybe configured with at least one image sensor 120 configured to capturedigital image data, as discussed herein. The electronic device 115 mayfurther include additional sensors, such as a clock, accelerometer,location module (e.g., GPS chip), gyroscope, compass, a breathalyzer,and/or other types of sensors.

In some implementations, the electronic device 115 may be configured tointerface with additional components of the vehicle 100. In particular,the electronic device 115 may interface with the electronic device 110and sensors thereof, any of the image sensors 105, 106, 107, and/orother components of the vehicle 100, such as any additional sensors thatmay be disposed within the vehicle 100. Further, although not depictedin FIG. 1A or 1B, the vehicle 100 and/or each of the electronic devices110, 115 may be equipped with storage or memory capable of storingvarious data.

In operation, either of the electronic devices 110, 115 may beconfigured to receive or otherwise access image data captured by anycombination of the image sensors 105, 106, 107, 120. The electronicdevices 110, 115 may access user profile data that may be stored in thestorage or memory, and may compare the received image data to the userprofile data to identify the individual 102 who may be depicted in theimage data. Further, the electronic devices 110, 115 may analyze thereadings from a breathalyzer device and/or any supplemental image datato determine a current state of the individual 102 and, based on thecurrent state, whether the individual 102 is fit to operate the vehicle100.

The electronic devices 110, 115 may further interface with the varioussensors or other components to assess various environmental data orinformation associated with the vehicle 100 and/or the individual 102.For example, the electronic devices 110, 115 may detect a currentlocation via a location module (e.g., a GPS chip), a stored locationhistory, any stored contacts, and/or other data. The electronic devices110, 115 may additionally communicate with remote components via one ormore network connections to retrieve additional information related tothe environment of the vehicle 100 and/or the individual 102. Inparticular, the electronic devices 110, 115 may retrieve informationrelated to lodging establishments, alternate modes of transportation,and/or other information that may relevant to persuading the individual102 to not operate the vehicle 100.

The electronic devices 110, 115 may generate and display a notificationthat indicates relevant environmental information, such as theavailability of a nearby lodging establishment, an alternate mode oftransportation, a favorite or frequent contact of the individual 102,and/or other information. The individual 102 may interface with theelectronic devices 110, 115 to view information, make selections,facilitate functionalities (e.g., booking a hotel or a taxi, or callinga friend), and/or take other action. In some implementations, theelectronic devices 110, 115 may automatically facilitate certainfunctions without input from the individual 102. For example, theelectronic devices 110, 115 may automatically book or reserve a hotelroom or a taxi, or may place a call to a frequent contact of theindividual 102.

The electronic devices 110, 115 may also generate a vehicle operationlog that may indicate the identified individual, the determined state ofthe individual, any generated notifications and information relatedthereto, and/or any actions performed or facilitated, where the vehicleoperation log may be later accessed and examined for variousapplications. The electronic devices 110, 115 may also provide, inreal-time, near real-time, or at another time, the generated vehicleoperation log to a third party entity or device (e.g., an insuranceprovider).

According to embodiments, an individual may manually access and examinethe vehicle operation log, or a computing device may automaticallyaccess and examine the vehicle operation log, to facilitate the variousapplications. For example, an insurance provider may automaticallyanalyze the vehicle operation log to assess any determined operatingstates for an individual, and may generate a vehicle insurance policyquote accordingly. Accordingly, the insurance provider may generate thevehicle insurance policy quote in real-time or near-real-time to whenthe electronic device 110, 115 generates the vehicle operation log.Further, the insurance provider may provide the vehicle insurance policyquote to the individual 102, such as when the individual 102 is stilloperating the vehicle or otherwise in real-time or near-real-time togeneration of the vehicle operation log, where the individual 102 mayselect to purchase the vehicle insurance policy.

FIG. 2 depicts a signal diagram 200 associated with facilitating certainfunctionalities associated with the systems and methods. The signaldiagram 200 includes a set of components that may be associated with avehicle: an image sensor 242 (such as one of the image sensors 105, 106,107, 120 as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B), an electronicdevice 246 (such as one of the electronic devices 110, 115 as discussedwith respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B), one or more sensors 241, and a remoteserver 243. According to embodiments, one or both of the sensor(s) 241or the image sensor 242 may be a component of (or separate from) theelectronic device 246. Further, according to embodiments, the sensor(s)241 may include a breathalyzer or similar device configured to detect aBAC reading for an individual (or other similar metric), as well asvarious motion sensors such as a gyroscope, accelerometer, and/or thelike.

The signal diagram 200 may begin when the electronic device 246optionally requests (250) image data from the image sensor 242.According to embodiments, the electronic device 246 may automaticallyrequest the image data periodically (e.g., once every ten seconds, onceevery minute, once every hour), or a user of the electronic device 246may cause the electronic device 246 to request the image data. Further,the request may include a specified amount of image data and/or aspecific time component (e.g., real-time image(s), real-time video,image(s) and/or video recorded five minutes ago). It should beappreciated that the image sensor 242 may be internal to or externalfrom the electronic device 246.

The image sensor 242 may send (252) the image data to the electronicdevice 246. In one implementation, the image sensor 242 mayautomatically send the image data to the electronic device 246 inreal-time or near real-time as the image sensor 242 captures the imagedata, and/or in response to a request from the electronic device 246. Inanother implementation, the image sensor 242 may sendpreviously-captured image data to the electronic device 246, such as ifthe image sensor 242 interfaces with some type of memory or storage. Ina further implementation, the image sensor 242 may send the image datain response to detecting that an individual has entered the vehicle,such as if the individual has sat down in the driver's seat of thevehicle. In this implementation, the image sensor 242 may be triggeredby another sensor, such as a seat sensor. It should be appreciated thatthe image data may depict a vehicle operator or a passenger of thevehicle.

The electronic device 246 may access (254) image profile data associatedwith one or more individuals. In embodiments, the one or moreindividuals may be registered or otherwise associated with the vehicle(e.g., one or more registered drivers of the vehicle). The electronicdevice 246 may access the image profile data from local memory or fromremote storage via a network connection. In one implementation, theelectronic device 246 may access the image profile data from the remoteserver 243. According to embodiments, the image profile data may includea set of attributes, characteristics, and/or the like that may berelated to the one or more individuals. For example, the image profiledata may include facial recognition data related to relative positions,sizes, and/or shapes of the eyes, noses, cheekbones, jaws, and/or otherfeatures of the one or more individuals.

The electronic device 246 may identify (256) an individual depicted inthe image data based on an analysis of the received image data and theaccessed image profile data. According to the embodiments, theindividual depicted in the image data may be the vehicle operator, apassenger of the vehicle, or an individual sitting in the driver's seatand wanting to operate the vehicle, where the electronic device 246 maydiscern whether the individual is the vehicle operator or a passengerbased on a positioning of the individual as indicated in the image data.In one implementation, the electronic device 246 may perform a facialrecognition algorithm or technique using the received image data todetermine that the facial features of an individual depicted in thereceived image data matches those corresponding to an individualincluded in the image profile data. It should be appreciated that othertypes of calculations, algorithms, comparisons, or techniques areenvisioned.

The electronic device 246 may retrieve (258) sensor data from thesensor(s) 241. In one implementation, if the sensor 241 is abreathalyzer device (or a similar device), the electronic device 246 mayretrieve BAC reading from the breathalyzer device. In anotherimplementation, the sensor data may be in the form of additional imagedata (where the sensor 241 may be the image sensor 242) that indicatesvarious facial characteristics of the vehicle operator. It should beappreciated that additional types of sensors that generate relevant dataare appreciated.

The electronic device 246 may analyze (260) the sensor data using one ormore various techniques, calculations, algorithms, or the like.Generally, the electronic device 246 may analyze the sensor data todetermine whether the individual is in a condition suitable or fit tooperate the vehicle. The electronic device 246 may deem the individualnot suitable to operate the vehicle if the individual is intoxicated,drowsy, and/or in other similar states. In a particular implementation,if the sensor data includes a BAC reading, the electronic device 246 maydeem the individual intoxicated if the BAC reading exceeds a thresholdamount (e.g., 0.08%). In another implementation, if the sensor dataincludes image data depicting certain facial characteristics, theelectronic device 246 may deem the individual intoxicated or drowsy ifthe facial characteristics are associated with the drowsiness,intoxication, and/or another similar condition (e.g., bloodshot eyes,droopy eyes, droopy mouth). It should be appreciated that otheranalyses, thresholds, and the like for determining a suitability tooperate a vehicle are envisioned.

The electronic device 246 may generate an autonomous mode control signalbased on a determined state of an individual within the vehicle.Furthermore, the electronic device 246 may alter an autonomous operationmode of the vehicle based on the autonomous mode vehicle. For example,the electronic device 246 may disable a manual operation mode of thevehicle, disable operation of the vehicle, automatically bring thevehicle to a stop in a safe location, etc.

Based on the analysis in (260), the electronic device 246 may determine(262) whether the individual is in a condition suitable to operate thevehicle. If the electronic device 246 determines that the individual isin a condition suitable to operate the vehicle (“YES”), processing mayend or proceed to other functionality. If the electronic device 246determines that the individual is not in a condition suitable to operatethe vehicle (“NO”), the electronic device 246 may identify (264) alocation. In particular, the electronic device 246 may interface with alocation module (e.g., a GPS module) to identify its current location(e.g., its GPS coordinates), or may access stored location data that mayindicate a recent location history of the electronic device 246. Forexample, the location history may indicate that the electronic devicewas recently present in a particular establishment or place of business(e.g., a restaurant, a bar, or the like).

Although not depicted in FIG. 2, the electronic device 246 may alsoidentify a current time and may correlate the current time with thelocation information identified in (264) to identify a particularenvironment or circumstance of the electronic device 246 (and byextension, the individual). For example, the electronic device 246 maydetermine, based on the current time and stored location data, that theelectronic device 246 (as well as the individual) was located in a barfive (5) minutes prior.

The electronic device 246 may identify (266) certain relevant oravailable transportation and/or lodging options. In particular, thetransportation and/or lodging options may be accessible or locatedwithin a vicinity of the electronic device 246. In embodiments, atransportation option may be a taxi service, nearby publictransportation (e.g., bus, train), a ride sharing service, atransportation network company, and/or the like. Further, inembodiments, the lodging option may be a hotel, a motel, an apartment,house, or room available for short-term rent, a hostel, and/or the like.

In some scenarios, the electronic device 246 may interface with theremote server 243, via a network(s), to request (268) availability for aparticular mode of transportation or lodging. In certain embodiments,the network(s) may support any type of data communication via anystandard or technology (e.g., GSM, CDMA, TDMA, WCDMA, LTE, EDGE, OFDM,GPRS, EV-DO, UWB, Internet, IEEE 802 including Ethernet, WiMAX, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, and others). The network(s) may also be one or more privateor local networks or dedicated frequency bands. In an implementation,the electronic device 246 may initiate an application that mayfacilitate an appropriate request. For example, the electronic device246 may initiate a transportation network application that may request anearby taxi or other type of vehicle. For further example, theelectronic device 246 may initiate a booking application to inquireabout an availability of a particular hotel. According toimplementations, the electronic device 246 may automatically and inreal-time facilitate the functionalities of (264), (266), and (268) inresponse to determining that the individual is not suitable to operatethe vehicle.

The electronic device 246 may optionally identify (270) a contact thatis stored on the electronic device 246 or otherwise accessible by theelectronic device 246, where the contact has associated contactinformation (e.g., a phone number, social network information, or emailaddress). In particular, the contact may be a recent contact (i.e., theindividual has recently contacted the contact), or the contact may be a“favorite” or frequent contact of the individual.

The electronic device 246 may generate (272) a notification that mayinclude information associated with an environment of the vehicle or theindividual. According to embodiments, the information may indicate anyidentified available mode of transportation, available lodging, contactinformation of a contact, and/or other information that may be relevantto an option other than the individual operating the vehicle. Theelectronic device 246 may also display (274) the notification, such asin a user interface. In displaying the notification, the electronicdevice 246 may cause the user interface to display a pop-up notificationthat includes the notification and the relevant information. In someembodiments, the electronic device 246 may initiate a dedicatedapplication configured to display the notification.

In further embodiments, the electronic device 246 may enable theindividual to select to secure or book the identified alternatetransportation or lodging, or to select to initiate a communication tothe contact identified in (270). For example, the individual may use theelectronic device 246 to select to request a taxi, where the electronicdevice 246 may indicate the requested taxi in the user interface. Forfurther example, the electronic device 246 may enable the vehicleoperator to book a room at an identified hotel. It should be appreciatedthat alternative techniques for securing or booking the identifiedtransportation or lodging are envisioned. In some implementations, theelectronic device 246 may automatically facilitate securing or bookingthe alternate transportation or lodging; or may automatically send acommunication to the contact identified in (270), such as in response todetermining that the individual is not in a condition suitable tooperate the vehicle.

Although not depicted in FIG. 2, it should be appreciated that theelectronic device 246 may record any recorded or determined informationin the form of a vehicle operator log or similar record that theelectronic device 246 may update with new information. In particular,the vehicle operation log may include an identification of theindividual, any determined state of the individual, a current timeand/or a current date, a location of the vehicle, and/or any otherinformation. The electronic device 246 may send the vehicle operator logto the remote server 243, such as via any type of network connection.Accordingly, a user or administrator associated with the remote server243 may review the vehicle operator log and facilitate any relatedfunctionalities.

It should be appreciated that additional functionalities associated withthe systems and methods are envisioned. In embodiments, the electronicdevice 246 may determine (e.g., via updated image data) that the vehicleis not being operated by the originally-identified individual (i.e., theimpaired individual) for a time period after the electronic device 246determines that the originally-identified individual is not suitable tooperate the vehicle, and specifically after the notification isdisplayed. In other words, the electronic device 246 may determine thatthe vehicle has a new operator, which may indicate that displaying thenotification was effective.

The electronic device 246 may also collect and store vehicle operationdata after displaying the notification, and may transmit the vehicleoperation data to the remote server 243. Additionally, the electronicdevice 246 may collect and store information associated with any lodgingand/or transportation options that the individual selects or books(e.g., hotels checked into, cab rides taken), which the electronicdevice 246 may also transmit to the remote server 243.

The remote server 243 may compile, store, and/or analyze any informationreceived from the electronic device 246. In this regard, the remoteserver 243 may document a detection of operator impairment, that anotification was issued to the operator, any potential transportationand/or lodging options presented to the operator, any mitigation actions(e.g., a vehicle operator switch), any transportation and/or lodgingselections, and/or other information. The remote server 243 may alsodetermine or document the risks associated with each choice or potentialchoice (e.g., operating the vehicle while in an impaired state, findingalternative transportation or lodging), and the differences thereof. Insome embodiments, such as if the remote server 243 represents aninsurance provider, the remote server 243 may log the events, potentialchoices, selected choices, and risks associated with each potentialchoice or selected choice, and may user the information for insurancerating functionality.

FIG. 3 depicts is a block diagram of an exemplary method 300 ofimproving safety of a vehicle. The method 300 may be facilitated by anelectronic device that may be located within a vehicle or incorporatedas part of the vehicle. The electronic device may support execution ofone or more dedicated applications that may facilitate thefunctionalities of the method 300. Further, the electronic device mayenable a user or individual (e.g., an individual attempting to operatethe vehicle) to make various selections and facilitate variousfunctionalities.

The method 300 may begin when the electronic device receives (block 305)image data from at least one image sensor located within the vehicle. Inembodiments, the image sensor may be a component of the electronicdevice itself or may be external to the electronic device. Further, theimage data may be received in real-time or near real-time as the atleast one image sensor captures the image data. After receiving theimage data, the electronic device may access (block 310) image profiledata associated with a set of individuals. In some embodiments, the setof individuals may be registered to or otherwise associated with thevehicle. Further, the image profile data may indicate physicalcharacteristics (e.g., facial features) of the corresponding set ofindividuals.

The electronic device may analyze (block 315) the image data and theimage profile data to identify an individual located within the vehiclewho is depicted in the image data. In one implementation, the electronicdevice may perform a facial recognition analysis using the image dataand the image profile data. It should be appreciated that alternate oradditional analyses, techniques, calculations, algorithms, or the likeare envisioned. In some embodiments, the electronic device may not haveenough relevant data to identify the individual, in which caseprocessing may return to block 305 at which additional image data may bereceived, or processing may end or proceed to other functionality.

The electronic device may further access (block 320) sensor data from asensor associated with the vehicle. According to some embodiments, thesensor may be a breathalyzer or similar device configured to detect aBAC reading of the individual, where the sensor may be incorporated intothe electronic device or otherwise configured to send sensor data to theelectronic device. In other embodiments, the sensor may be an additionalimage sensor (or one of the at least one image sensors) configured tocapture additional image data of the individual. The electronic devicemay analyze (block 325) the sensor data to determine a current state ofthe individual. According to embodiments, if the sensor is abreathalyzer or similar device, the current state may correspond to theBAC reading of the individual; or if the sensor is an additional imagesensor, the current state may correspond to an alertness or drowsinesslevel of the individual (e.g., as depicted in the additional imagedata).

The electronic device may determine (block 330) whether the individualis unfit to operate the vehicle. In making the determination, theelectronic device may compare the current state of the individual to oneor more threshold values or conditions. For example, if the currentstate of the individual has an associated BAC reading, the electronicdevice may determine that the individual is unfit to operate the vehicleif the BAC reading exceeds a certain threshold, thereby indicating thatthe individual is intoxicated. For further example, if the current stateof the individual has one or more indications of drowsiness or lack ofalertness, the electronic device may determine that the individual isunfit to operate the vehicle if a certain amount of the indications arepresent in the sensor data.

If the electronic device determines that the individual is not unfit tooperate the vehicle (“NO”), processing may end or proceed to otherfunctionality. If the electronic device determines that the individualis unfit to operate the vehicle (“YES”), the electronic device maydetermine (block 335) an environment of the vehicle or the individual,as well as information associated with the environment. According tosome embodiments, the electronic device may interface with a locationmodule to identify a current location of the individual/electronicdevice, and/or may interface with a clock to identify a current timeand/or stored location data. Further, the electronic device maydetermine at least one lodging establishment and/or at least onealternative mode of transportation in a vicinity of or otherwise nearbythe current location of the individual/electronic device. In anotherimplementation, the electronic device may determine, based on thecurrent time and/or the stored location data, an establishment (e.g., abar) in which the individual/electronic device was recently located. Ina further implementation, the electronic device may identify a contactstored on the electronic device, such as a favorite contact or recentcontact of the individual.

The electronic device may generate (block 340) a notification includingthe information associated with the environment. In particular, thenotification may include any identified lodging establishment oralternative mode of transportation. In other embodiment, the electronicdevice may identify a contact that is stored on the electronic device aswell as contact information for the contact, where the notification mayinclude the contact information. The electronic device may cause (block345) the notification to be displayed on the electronic device, such asvia a user interface. In particular, the notification may be in the formof a pop-up notification or other type of alert or communication, andmay automatically display on the electronic device or may be manuallyaccessed by the individual. In some embodiments, the individual mayaccess the notification via a dedicated application.

The electronic device may optionally initiate (block 350) a relevantapplication on the electronic device. In particular, if the notificationindicates a lodging establishment, the electronic device may initiate abooking application installed on the electronic device, which maydetermine whether there is any availability at the lodging establishmentand may facilitate booking a stay at the lodging establishment. Inanother implementation, if the notification indicates an alternativemode of transportation, the electronic device may initiate atransportation network application installed on the electronic device,and may request the alternative mode of transportation via thetransportation network application. In a further implementation, if thenotification indicates a contact of the individual, the electronicdevice may initiate a messaging or dialer application installed on theelectronic device, to initiate a communication to the contact. It shouldbe appreciated that the electronic device may enable the individual tomanually make selections within the initiated application, or mayautomatically facilitate the various functionalities of the initiatedapplication. Further, it should be appreciated that the notification mayindicate whether an alternative mode of transportation or lodgingestablishment has been booked or requested, or whether a communicationhas been sent to a contact.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary interfaces associated withdetermining and displaying information associated with optionsalternative to operating a vehicle. An electronic device (e.g., a mobiledevice, such as a smartphone) may be configured to display theinterfaces and/or receive selections and inputs via the interfaces,where the electronic device may be associated with an operator of avehicle, or may be integrated into the vehicle. For example, a dedicatedapplication that is configured to operate on the electronic device maydisplay the interfaces. It should be appreciated that the interfaces aremerely exemplary and that alternative or additional content isenvisioned.

FIG. 4A illustrates an interface 450 indicating a situation in which anindividual is deemed unfit to operate a vehicle. The interface 450indicates an option 451 for an alternative mode of transportation. Asshown in FIG. 4A, the alternative mode of transportation is a taxi,where the option 451 indicates a real-time status of the taxi, namely,that the driver (Joe) will arrive in two (2) minutes. The interface 450may also include a “CANCEL” selection 453 that enables an accessing userto select to dismiss the interface 450 (or, in some cases, to cancel thetaxi) and an “OKAY” selection 452 that enables an accessing user toproceed to other functionality.

FIG. 4B illustrates an additional interface 455 indicating anothersituation in which an individual is deemed unfit to operate a vehicle.The interface 455 indicates information 456 associated with an availablelodging option near a location of the electronic device. As shown inFIG. 4B, the available lodging option is ABC Hotel, where theinformation 456 indicates a location of ABC Hotel relative to thelocation of the electronic device. The interface 456 may also include a“BOOK!” selection 457 that enables an accessing user to select to book aroom at ABC Hotel.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary mobile or other electronicdevice 510 (such as one of the electronic devices 110, 115 as discussedwith respect to FIG. 1) in which the functionalities as discussed hereinmay be implemented. It should be appreciated that the electronic device510 may be configured to be transported in a vehicle and/or connect toan on-board telematics platform of the vehicle, as discussed herein.Further, it should be appreciated that the electronic device 510 may beintegrated into an on-board system of the vehicle.

The electronic device 510 may include a processor 522 as well as amemory 578. The memory 578 may store an operating system 579 capable offacilitating the functionalities as discussed herein as well as a set ofapplications 575 (i.e., machine readable instructions). For example, oneof the set of applications 575 may be an image processing application590 configured to analyze image data to identify individuals depicted inthe image data, and booking application 591 configured to request orbook a lodging establishment, an alternative mode of transportation, orthe like. It should be appreciated that one or more other applications592 are envisioned, such as an application configured to determinevarious environmental information.

The processor 522 may interface with the memory 578 to execute theoperating system 579 and the set of applications 575. According to someembodiments, the memory 578 may also include profile data 580 that mayinclude data associated with a set of individuals associated with avehicle. In some implementations, the image processing application 590may interface with the profile data 580 to retrieve appropriate profiledata and compare the profile data to received image data. The memory 578may include one or more forms of volatile and/or non-volatile, fixedand/or removable memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), electronicprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), random access memory (RAM),erasable electronic programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or otherhard drives, flash memory, MicroSD cards, and others.

The electronic device 510 may further include a communication module 577configured to communicate data via one or more networks 520. Accordingto some embodiments, the communication module 577 may include one ormore transceivers (e.g., WWAN, WLAN, and/or WPAN transceivers)functioning in accordance with IEEE standards, 3GPP standards, or otherstandards, and configured to receive and transmit data via one or moreexternal ports 576. Further, the communication module 577 may include ashort-range network component (e.g., an RFID reader) configured forshort-range network communications. For example, the communicationmodule 577 may receive, via the network 520, image data from a set ofimage sensors. For further example, the communication module 577 maytransmit data to and receive data from a remote server via the network520.

The electronic device 510 may further include a set of sensors 584. Theprocessor 522 and the set of applications 575 may interface with the setof sensors 584 to retrieve and process the corresponding sensor data.The set of sensors 584 may include, for example, a location module, anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, a weather sensors, one or moreimage sensors, and/or the like. In one particular implementation, a loggeneration application may use various data from the set of sensors 584to generate vehicle operation logs.

The electronic device 510 may further include a user interface 581configured to present information to a user and/or receive inputs fromthe user. As shown in FIG. 5, the user interface 581 may include adisplay screen 582 and I/O components 583 (e.g., ports, capacitive orresistive touch sensitive input panels, keys, buttons, lights, LEDs,speakers, microphones). According to some embodiments, the user mayaccess the electronic device 510 via the user interface 581 to reviewinformation and/or perform other functions. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 510 may perform the functionalities as discussedherein as part of a “cloud” network or may otherwise communicate withother hardware or software components within the cloud to send,retrieve, or otherwise analyze data.

In general, a computer program product in accordance with an embodimentmay include a computer usable storage medium (e.g., standard randomaccess memory (RAM), an optical disc, a universal serial bus (USB)drive, or the like) having computer-readable program code embodiedtherein, wherein the computer-readable program code may be adapted to beexecuted by the processor 522 (e.g., working in connection with theoperating system 579) to facilitate the functions as described herein.In this regard, the program code may be implemented in any desiredlanguage, and may be implemented as machine code, assembly code, bytecode, interpretable source code or the like (e.g., via C, C++, Java,Actionscript, Objective-C, Javascript, CSS, XML). In some embodiments,the computer program product may be part of a cloud network ofresources.

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention may be defined by the words of the claims setforth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to beconstrued as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternateembodiments, using either current technology or technology developedafter the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within thescope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, orinstructions. These may constitute either software (e.g., code embodiedon a non-transitory, machine-readable medium) or hardware. In hardware,the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that may be permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that may betemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules may provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it may becommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment may be included in at leastone embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

The terms “insurer,” “insuring party,” and “insurance provider” are usedinterchangeably herein to generally refer to a party or entity (e.g., abusiness or other organizational entity) that provides insuranceproducts, e.g., by offering and issuing insurance policies. Typically,but not necessarily, an insurance provider may be an insurance company.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “may include,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one and the singular also may include the plural unless itis obvious that it is meant otherwise.

This detailed description is to be construed as examples and does notdescribe every possible embodiment, as describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implementnumerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method in an electronicdevice of improving operation of an autonomous vehicle, the methodcomprising: receiving image data from at least one image sensor locatedwithin the vehicle, wherein the at least one image sensor is triggeredby a seat sensor; receiving, by a computer processor, user data that isstored on a user electronic device of a particular; analyzing, by thecomputer processor, by comparing the received image data to the receiveduser data to identify the particular individual located within thevehicle; accessing sensor data from a sensor associated with thevehicle; analyzing the sensor data to determine a current state of theparticular individual; in response to the current state of theparticular individual, generating an autonomous mode control signal;altering an autonomous operation mode of the vehicle based on theautonomous mode control signal; providing to the particular individual,in response to altering the autonomous operation mode of the vehicle,information related to at least one of: availability of nearby lodging,alternate modes of transportation, a favorite contact of the particularindividual, a frequent contact of the particular individual, orinformation persuading the particular individual to not operate thevehicle: and automatically performing at least one function selectedfrom: book a hotel room, reserve a hotel room, book a taxi, reserve ataxi, or place a call to a frequent contact of the particularindividual, based on the user data for the particular individual.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing the sensordata from the sensor comprises: receiving a reading from a breathalyzerdevice used by the particular individual, the reading indicating a bloodalcohol content of the particular individual; wherein analyzing thesensor data to determine the current state of the particular individualcomprises: determining, based on the blood alcohol content of theparticular individual, that the particular individual is intoxicated. 3.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:determining the environment of the vehicle or the particular individual;and determining the information associated with the environment of thevehicle or the particular individual.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 3, wherein determining the environment of the vehicle or theparticular individual comprises: identifying, using a location module ofthe electronic device, a current location of the electronic device; andwherein determining the information associated with the environment ofthe vehicle or the particular individual comprises: identifying, basedon the current location of the electronic device, a lodgingestablishment near the current location of the electronic device.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein identifying, based onthe current location of the electronic device, the lodging establishmentcomprises: initiating a booking application installed on the electronicdevice; and determining, via the booking application, that there isavailability at the lodging establishment.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 3, wherein determining the environment of the vehicle orthe particular individual comprises: identifying, using a locationmodule of the electronic device, a current location of the electronicdevice; and wherein determining the information associated with theenvironment of the vehicle or the particular individual comprises:identifying, based on the current location of the electronic device, analternative mode of transportation.
 7. The computer-implemented methodof claim 6, wherein identifying, based on the current location of theelectronic device, the alternative mode of transportation comprises:initiating a transportation network application installed on theelectronic device; and requesting the alternative mode of transportationvia the transportation network application.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 3, wherein determining the environment of the vehicle orthe particular individual comprises: identifying a current time; andidentifying, based on location data stored on the electronic device, anestablishment in which the electronic device was recently located. 9.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating anotification including the information associated with the environmentof the vehicle or the particular individual comprises: identifying (i) acontact of the individual stored on the electronic device and (ii)contact information of the contact; and generating the notificationincluding the contact information of the contact.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein identifying the contactof the particular individual stored on the electronic device comprises:identifying the contact as at least one of: (i) a recently-contactedcontact and (ii) a frequently-contacted contact.
 11. A system in anelectronic device for improving operation of an autonomous vehicle,comprising: a user interface; a memory configured to storenon-transitory computer executable instructions; and a processorconfigured to interface with the memory, wherein the processor isconfigured to execute the non-transitory computer executableinstructions to cause the processor to: receive image data from at leastone image sensor located within the vehicle, wherein the at least oneimage sensor is triggered by a seat sensor; receive user data that isstored on a user electronic device of a particular individual; analyzeby comparing the received image data to the received user data toidentify the particular individual located within the vehicle; accesssensor data from a sensor associated with the vehicle; analyze thesensor data to determine a current state of the particular individual;in response to the current state of the particular individual, generatean autonomous operation mode control signal; alter an autonomousoperation mode of the vehicle based on the autonomous operation modecontrol signal; provide to the particular individual, in response toaltering the autonomous operation mode of the vehicle, informationrelated to at least one of: availability of nearby lodging, alternatemodes of transportation, a favorite contact of the particularindividual, a frequent contact of the particular individual, orinformation persuading the particular individual to not operate thevehicle, and automatically perform at least one function selected from:book a hotel room, reserve a hotel room, book a taxi, reserve a taxi, orplace a call to a frequent contact of the particular individual, basedon the user data for the particular individual.
 12. The system of claim11, wherein to access the sensor data from the sensor, the processor isconfigured to: receive a reading from a breathalyzer device used by theparticular individual, the reading indicating a blood alcohol content ofthe particular individual, and wherein to analyze the sensor data todetermine the current state of the operator, the processor is configuredto: determine, based on the blood alcohol content of the operator, thatthe operator is intoxicated.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: determine the environment of thevehicle or the particular individual, and determine the informationassociated with the environment of the vehicle or the particularindividual.
 14. The system of claim 13, further comprising: a locationmodule configured to identify a current location of the electronicdevice; wherein to determine the information associated with theenvironment of the vehicle or the particular individual, the processoris configured to: identify, based on the current location of theelectronic device, a lodging establishment near the current location ofthe electronic device.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein to identify,based on the current location of the electronic device, the lodgingestablishment, the processor is configured to: initiate a bookingapplication installed on the electronic device, and determine, via thebooking application, that there is availability at the lodgingestablishment.
 16. The system of claim 13, further comprising: alocation module configured to identify a current location of theelectronic device; wherein to determine the information associated withthe environment of the vehicle or the particular individual, theprocessor is configured to: identify, based on the current location ofthe electronic device, an alternative mode of transportation.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein to identify, based on the current locationof the electronic device, the alternative mode of transportation, theprocessor is configured to: initiate a transportation networkapplication installed on the electronic device, and request thealternative mode of transportation via the transportation networkapplication.
 18. The system of claim 13, wherein to determine theenvironment of the vehicle or the particular individual, the processoris configured to: identify a current time, and identify, based onlocation data stored on the electronic device, an establishment in whichthe electronic device was recently located.
 19. The system of claim 11,wherein to generate the notification including the informationassociated with the environment of the vehicle or the particularindividual, the processor is configured to: identify (i) a contact ofthe particular individual stored on the electronic device and (ii)contact information of the contact, and generate a notificationincluding the contact information of the contact.
 20. The system ofclaim 19, wherein to identify the contact of the particular individualstored on the electronic device, the processor is configured to:identify the contact as at least one of: (i) a recently-contactedcontact and (ii) a frequently-contacted contact.
 21. An electronicdevice for improving operation of an autonomous vehicle, comprising: auser interface; a memory configured to store non-transitory computerexecutable instructions; and a processor configured to interface withthe memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute thenon-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the processorto: receive image data from at least one image sensor located within thevehicle, wherein the at least one image sensor is triggered by a seatsensor, receive user data that is stored on a user electronic device ofa particular individual; analyze by comparing the received image data tothe received user data to identify the particular individual locatedwithin the vehicle; access sensor data from a sensor associated with thevehicle, analyze the sensor data to determine a current state of theparticular individual, in response to the current state of theparticular individual, generate an autonomous operation mode controlsignal, alter an autonomous operation mode of the vehicle based on theautonomous operation mode control signal, provide to the particularindividual, in response to altering the autonomous operation mode of thevehicle, information related to at least one of: availability of nearbylodging, alternate modes of transportation, a favorite contact of theparticular individual, a frequent contact of the particular individual,or information persuading the particular individual to not operate thevehicle, and automatically perform at least one function selected from:book a hotel room, reserve a hotel room, book a taxi, reserve a taxi, orplace a call to a frequent contact of the particular individual, basedon the user data for the particular individual.
 22. The device of claim21, wherein to access the sensor data from the sensor, the processor isconfigured to: receive a reading from a breathalyzer device used by theparticular individual, the reading indicating a blood alcohol content ofthe particular individual, and wherein to analyze the sensor data todetermine the current state of the particular individual, the processoris configured to: determine, based on the blood alcohol content of theoperator, that the particular individual is intoxicated.